Dungeness A – Level 1 Demonstration and Site Stakeholder Group

Site: Dungeness A

IR number: 15-100

Date: October 2015

LC numbers: 11

Executive summary

Purpose of intervention

This report covers interventions at Magnox Ltd’s Dungeness A nuclear licensed site on 19-22 October 2015. This intervention was undertaken as part of a programme of planned interventions as outlined in the IIS plan for 2015/16.

The inspection included observation of the annual Level 1 demonstration of the sites emergency arrangements and an unannounced inspection of emergency cover during silent hours. I also attended the Dungeness Site stakeholder Group meeting.

Interventions Carried Out by ONR

During this intervention, I carried out inspections to verify compliance with the following Licence Conditions:

LC11 – Emergency arrangements - through observation of the Level 1 demonstration and inspection of emergency cover during silent hours.

My inspections were carried out against the requirements of LC11 and ONR’s published inspection guidance associated with this Licence Condition.

Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate

Not applicable – This was not a Safety Systems Inspection.

Key Findings, Inspector's Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made

I observed the Level 1 demonstration of the licensee’s emergency arrangements with a team of ONR inspectors. The Licensee demonstrated it has adequate arrangements to respond to incidents on the site. During the demonstration ONR observed a number of areas of good practice including:

The site communications system enabled a rapid initial site announcement and call for responders.

Rapid set up of the Incident Response Centre to provide command and control

Effective decision making to provide effective treatment of the casualty.

ONR also identified some areas that the licensee could further develop. These included:

The use of boards in the Incident Response Centre and Medical Centre should identify key focus points and objectives.

The structure of the Incident Response Centre could be improved to ensure adequate supporting staff are present to share tasks and allow the Shift Lead to delegate and plan the response. More use of Protocol briefs and time-outs would also be beneficial to retain focus and discipline.

The security team should consider introducing direct radio communications between the Lead Guard and the Shift Lead.

Overall I was satisfied that this exercise represented an adequate demonstration of the licensee’s emergency arrangements, which provided confidence that the site would have been able to deal with this type of scenario if it had been a real event.

I met with site Safety Representatives. We discussed current issues and plans on site and feedback from the safety rep interactions with staff and management.

I carried out an unannounced inspection at site during the night shift, when the site was staffed for silent-hours operation. The Shift Lead demonstrated that they would be able to identify a number of scenarios I proposed. The Shift Lead also demonstrated that the site was able to muster adequate numbers of staff to site if an incident had occurred at that time. I was satisfied that the site capability to respond in silent hours was adequate.

I attended the Dungeness Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) meeting, where I provided a summary of the ONR activities in relation to the Dungeness A site from the two previous reporting periods. Minutes of the meeting were taken by the SSG Secretary and will be provided in due course. No significant actions or issues related to safety or security regulation at the site were raised.

Conclusion of Intervention

I judged the Level 1 demonstration was adequate to verify that the licensee has adequate arrangements to respond to incidents on the site and is compliant with the requirements of LC11. The unannounced inspection also demonstrated that the site has the ability to call upon adequate resources to respond to an event in silent hours. The minor recommendations raised will be followed up by the ONR Site Inspector as part of routine regulatory interactions with the licensee.